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Murtagh linked to Sweet Lincoln repeat

Michael Dods is hoping that history can repeat itself at Doncaster at the end of March when his smart handicapper Sweet Lightning will be hoping to strike for the second time in a row in the coveted William Hill Lincoln Handicap, writes Elliot Slater.

The traditional first big betting event of the Flat season is staged on the Saturday of Doncaster’s curtain raising meeting on Town Moor and an initial entry of 97 entries have been received for this year’s cavalry charge, that figure also accounting for those horses who will miss the cut for the main event and run in the consolation race earlier in the afternoon.

Last year Dods’ Sweet Lightning was given a peach of a ride by Johnny Murtagh who held his mount up towards the rear of the stands side group before producing the gelding with a perfectly timed effort, striking the front just inside the final furlong then running on strongly to beat Brae Hill by two-and-a-half-lengths. The son of Fantastic Light hasn’t been since but is now out in Meydan where horse racing tips are expecting him to follow a similar path to last term where he ran four times without managing to get his head in front, but performed with credit nonetheless.

Not lacking for fitness when he arrived at Doncaster, Sweet Lightning will again be trained to the minute for the high profile contest and Dods is very optimistic that Murtagh, (who has a retainer with the gelding’s owner Andrew Tinkler), will once again be making the headlines in the horse racing betting news on the big day. Although set to run off an 8lb higher mark than last year’s winning rating of 104, Sweet Lightning will doubtless figure amongst the market principals when firms eventually get round to pricing up the contest.